BA High Life Magazine
Celebrating English Wine this month...
It’s no longer a secret that England is producing some world class wines and the sparkling category is still leading the charge. With vines coming of age, the wines winning countless international awards and more than 100% growth in vineyard area just in the last ten years, it’s easy to see why England is a wine country to watch.
There are certain regions that are particularly celebrated for English sparkling too, often thanks to the same seam of chalk-rich soil that’s found in Champagne and a climate much like where our French friends were twenty years ago. The most successful areas, arguably, are Sussex, Kent, Hampshire and Surrey but new areas such as Crouch Valley in Essex are turning heads thanks to favourable conditions and ideal soils, with big international names investing in vineyard plantings there. A burgeoning wine tourism industry is helping exploring wine drinkers discover new favourites and we’re seeing more and more options on the shelves in our wine shops and supermarkets, all raising English wine’s profile.
Home grown fizz is here to stay - and it’s only going to get better. Here’s a Sips Safari of some top producers from key regions:
Gusbourne Estate Brut Reserve 2020, Kent £45.99 The Wine Flyer
Gusbourne in Appledore, Kent is leading the way for fine wine in this country with its elegant and ageworthy sparklers. This Chardonnay-dominant fizz is complex yet refreshing with notes of apple pie and baking spice with a crisp, citrusy lift.
Weyborne Estate Oriana 2019, West Sussex, £48 Hawkins Bros
A relatively new kid on the Sussex wine block, Weyborne have impressed with their ‘zero dosage’ sparkling wines like their top cuvée Oriana, which offers an opulent, creamy texture and notes of brioche, nuts and white peach without any added sweetness. Beautiful.
Black Chalk ‘Wild Rose’ 2021, Hampshire £44.95, Lea & Sandeman
Black Chalk has become a Hampshire wine institution thanks to its pure and precise wines. Their Wild Rose has quintessentially English, subtle rosehip and red apple skin notes about it with bright, underripe raspberry tones. Delicate and totally delicious.
Langham Corallian Classic Cuvée NV, Dorset £33.50, Fortnum & Mason
Langham is a jewel in Dorset’s wine crown with its exceptional range of sparklers grown on cretaceous, chalky soils. This very special cuvée is generous and textured with appealing notes of ripe apricot, hazelnut and brioche offset by a moreish, thirst-quenching salinity.